Army Spouse Addresses Difficulties of Deployment in Children’s Book

A new children’s book is highlighting the effects of deployments on the youngest members of a military family.

Army wife Chandelle Walker recently published “Daddy Left with Mr. Army: A Child’s View of Military Deployment” to assist parents, like herself, cope with a child’s emotions during military separation. Walker personally learned the trials and tribulations a military family goes through while enduring five deployments with her two children. Military Families Magazine spoke with the self-publisher author amid the release of the book to learn more about how this project came to fruition.

Where did the inspiration for the
story stem from?

Our family understands what military
families go through during deployments and family separations. I have witnessed
firsthand what children experience and have seen how they feel and what
emotions they are going through. Unless you are in this life, it is
difficult to truly understand what military spouses and children experience
while a spouse and/or parent is deployed.

Who is this book for?

My target audience is most likely
for children from 2 to 11. It is a darling book all in rhyme and relates to so
many military children and families. It can also be beneficial for extended
families of these children and deploying parents, so they can gain some insight
into the emotions and thought processes these children experience.

Why was it important to you to write this book?

I really feel it can benefit military
children because it is written from their perspective. It covers how life
is normal for them, then, one day Daddy comes home with orders sending him away
and how the child doesn’t understand what is going on, why the parents are
sometimes acting different, and why Daddy is packing so much. It goes
through the explanation from the parents as to what is going to happen and why
what Daddy is doing is so important. It talks about the sad day Daddy
leaves and continues on to how the child and mother navigate life without him
and things they do to stay connected. You also see how the child’s
understanding of what Dad is doing and why he’s gone, grows and matures.

Author Chandelle Walker crafted a homecoming sign that calculates the amount of time her husband has been away.

How long did it take you to write
this book?

From beginning to end, the process
was around 14 years to finally get this into my hands, and I am so
excited to share it! During a separation while I was pregnant with my son,
I woke up with the beginnings of this children’s book. I have always loved
books written in rhyme and poetry, and that is how this book began forming.
Line after line continued on in rhyme until it was complete. I wrote most of it
that night, but added to and tweaked it throughout the next few years as our
family continued to experience deployments. I completed it years ago, but I wasn’t
sure what I could do with it.

What is a fun fact about the book’s publishing process?

The fun part was that I was keeping
this a secret from my husband. I wanted the book of our Army life and
deployments to be surprise for him. It was difficult hiding it from him
sometimes, but it was worth it in the end. It was a long and sometimes
difficult process, but I received my first official hardcover copy on Dec. 24,
2018, just in time to show my family for the holidays.

Aside from sharing this book with their kids, what advice do
you have for military families facing a deployment?

My biggest suggestion for the mother
or parent not deployed, would be to just take each day one day at a
time. Be patient with your children and remember they are also
experiencing the temporary absence of their loved one. Don’t try to make
everything perfect. Just do your best each day. Talk to your children,
spend time with them, play games with them, and read to them! It won’t
always be easy, but make the best out of each day and you will look back and be
happy with the growth you’ve made and the strength you’ve gained.